BRYAN, Texas (TCD) — A 33-year-old man has been ordered to spend the rest of his life in prison for abusing and torturing his twin daughters, killing one of them.
Brazos County court records show Justin Hopper was found guilty of injury to a child with intent to cause bodily injury in connection with the death of his 6-year-old daughter Arianna Battelle. He has already filed an appeal.
According to KBTX-TV, a judge sentenced Hopper to life behind bars with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Hopper’s wife and Battelle’s stepmother, Jessica Bundren, was convicted of the same charge last year and has also been sentenced to life in prison.
KBTX reports Hopper and Bundren reportedly beat Battelle and her twin sister with a wooden paddle because they allegedly ate too slowly and wet the bed. Brazos County Assistant District Attorney Kara Comte said during Bundren’s trial that the couple hit the girls with belts and paddles or slammed them against the wall or the floor.
Battelle died Oct. 27, 2020, according to Newsweek. The girl reportedly had several injuries on her body that matched a belt investigators found. Battelle’s twin sister was found with broken fingers and a black eye and “appeared to be in pain and moved with difficulty.” She told investigators her father hit her with a paddle.
A forensic pathologist who testified at Bundren’s trial said, “[Battelle] was tortured. She may have been sexually assaulted as part of that process. Her death was slow and painful.”
Newsweek reports Battelle’s twin sister “is with a really, really good foster family who she absolutely loves with her whole heart.”
Comte said at Hopper’s conviction and sentencing, “We recognize what it means to ask for a life sentence. That’s a long time, and this case, of all the cases that I’ve ever prosecuted, this case deserved it.”
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